The present invention relates to a stores magazine and launch system for fighter or attack aircraft, and particularly to a compact, vertically configured system for loading, storing, and ejecting stores, such as missiles. More particularly, the invention provides a magazine and launch system for compact internal storage of missiles wholely within the aircraft eliminate the drag usually caused by external missile carriers. In addition to moving missiles into and ejecting them from an aircraft, the magazine stabilizes the missiles to reduce movement thereof during flight and ground maneuvers. The launcher includes power assisted missile loading, unloading, retention, and deployment system.
The terms weapon, store, and missile, as used herein, are used interchangeably. The term missile may refer to a particular class of store or weapon; however, all classes of ordnance and stores are also included within the term, which should be taken in the widest possible sense.
The magazine and launch system of the present invention is an improvement over previous methods of internal stores carriage, i.e. rotary systems. The volume required for rotary system internal storage precluded internal carriage, resulting in external carriage systems and reduced performance. In this arrangement, a given number of missiles of a given size and the missile handling system occupy a minimum of volume and can be stored internally of the aircraft.
Military aircraft are designed to transport stores or weapons, such as bombs, rockets or missiles, to a target area for release at the command of the pilot. A number of aircraft have external store carriers arranged to depend somewhat from the exterior of the aircraft. However, external carriers and the carried stores introduce considerable drag, degrading the flight and handling characteristics of the aircraft. It would be desirable for such fighter/attack type aircraft to have a plurality of stores available, without introducing drag or reducing aircraft maneuverability and without establishing a uniqe radar signature.
Previous attempts to provide for internal carriage of stores have not been adopted for smaller types of aircraft due to the dimensional requirements for acceptance of the rotary drum configuration launcher system or due to the reduced number of stores which may be carried.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,481,542 to G. L. Schyler discloses a store attaching and ejection mechanism mounted within an open store cavity provided in an aircraft fuselage or in a nacelle which is in turn mounted externally to the underside of an aircraft.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,599,555 to P. F. Hurt, describes a rocket magazine having rocket positioning pawls for holding rockets arranged in a substantially vertical orientation. The rockets are lowered to a firing cradle, which is oscillatable about a fixed axis to align rockets with a barrel through which the rockets are fired. However, the rocket carrier is inadequate for handling larger stores, such as missiles, which would likely be damaged if not maintained separate one from another, nor is there provision for positive ejection by the magazine, as distinct from the rocket itself.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,826,120 to Lang et al discloses a mechanism for mounting stores internally of an aircraft. This mechanism is of the known drum type which requires that the aircraft have substantial girth to accept a drum of a diameter sufficient to support the several stores. as shown particularly in FIG. 4 thereof.